Gazebos with decorative posts having replaceable tops

ABSTRACT

A gazebo having four or more support columns connected together to form a frame structure which supports a covering support structure which in turn supports a roof covering has decorative posts (e.g., eight in number when four support columns are used) which are connected to the frame structure so that each support column is connected to two decorative posts, and each of the decorative posts has a replaceable top which can be an ornamental top, a bird feeder, a planter or a light, and the tops can be mix and matched, or identical tops can be used with all of the decorative posts, or some partial combination or grouped combination can be used, thus allowing for substantial customization opportunities. The decorative posts can have electrical connections running to connecting support columns, and all of the electrical connections can be connected together and connected to a solar energy source supported by the covering support structure. The electrical connections in the decorative posts, their connections to the support columns and the support columns can be concealed from view.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of PCT/US 05/05912, filed Feb. 25, 2005, entitled “GAZEBOS WITH INTEGRATED ADDITIONAL FEATURES,” the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. This application is also related to a design application of the same title being filed concurrently herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of portable gazebos, and more specifically, to portable gazebos.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A gazebo is a structure commonly found in parks, gardens and other spacious public areas, but they can also be found in homes as part of an outdoor living area. Gazebos have a roof, are freestanding and are open-sided. A main purpose for gazebos is to provide shade, shelter against rain, and rest. Sometimes, if a gazebo is big enough, music groups can play in them, and gazebos found in public parks are often used as a visual focal point to make such parks more visually enjoyable.

When gazebos are used in a private home setting, a gazebo can be incorporated into a garden, or it can be incorporated into other outdoor living areas, such as freestanding barbeque islands, bar areas, pool areas, and the like.

Gazebos can be custom designed for permanent construction and may be made of wood and laid on cement foundations. However, such construction and customization comes at a price, and many homeowners prefer a simple, portable, inexpensive construction, especially if cost is a major concern. For such a construction to be effective in a mass market, the design must be relatively standardized and mass produced.

Accordingly, there exists a need for mass produced gazebos that offer some of the advantages of more expensive, customized gazebos, at an economical price.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a gazebo having four or more support columns connected together to form a frame structure which supports a covering support structure which in turn supports a roof covering. Decorative posts (e.g., eight in number when four support columns are used) are connected to the frame structure so that each support column is connected to two decorative posts, and each of the decorative posts can have a replaceable top.

In a first, separate group of aspects of the present invention, the replaceable tops, which might be threadably connected, can be an ornamental top, a bird feeder, a planter or a light, and the tops can be mix and matched, or identical tops can be used with all of the decorative posts, or some partial combination or grouped combination can be used, thus allowing for substantial customization opportunities.

In a second, separate group of aspects of the present invention, the decorative posts can have electrical connections running to connecting support columns, and all of the electrical connections can be connected together and connected to a solar energy source supported by the covering support structure. The electrical connections in the decorative posts, their connections to the support columns and the support columns can be concealed from view.

In other, separate aspects of the present invention, the frame structure can have four support columns attached to eight decorative posts, each of which has a base for resting on the ground so that the gazebo, when fully assembled, will be supported by twelve bases such that each pair of decorative posts forms a ninety degree angle with its support columns and all the bases form a substantially square footprint. The decorative posts can be connected to their support column by a decorative panel having two connection points to both the post and the support column, with a connection between the upper and lower connections.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved gazebo with decorative posts having replaceable tops.

This and further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the drawings and the detailed description of the invention set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gazebo according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2-10 are front perspective views of a gazebo with different tops on top of decorative posts according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top planar view of the gazebo shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a gazebo is provided with decorative posts that have replaceable tops.

The present invention will now be described in connection with several different preferred embodiments that illustrate various aspects of the inventive concepts described herein. Although the Figures illustrate gazebo structures in their assembled states, such units can be shipped and sold in an unassembled state, and later assembled by consumers or, if preferred, someone paid to perform that service (as is typical in connection with certain modular office furniture that can be purchased today at various retail outlets). Moreover, because the details of assembling such units, and fastening the various components together would be well within the skill of a person of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of the instant disclosure, the details of such assembly will not be provided herein.

In the Figures and the following more detailed description, numerals indicate various features of the invention, with like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawings and the description. Although the Figures are described in greater detail below, the following is a glossary of the elements identified in the Figures:

-   10 gazebo -   11 frame structure -   12 support column -   13 covering support structure -   14 roof covering -   17 base -   19 decorative panel -   20 decorative post -   21 replaceable top -   22 ornamental top -   23 bird feeder -   24 planter -   25 light -   201 solar powered collector -   202 solar panel -   203 battery -   205 shaft

In accordance with an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, and referring now to FIG. 1, gazebo 10 includes 4 or more support columns 12 that form a frame structure, generally designated as 11, which supports covering support structure 13. Covering support structure 13 supports roof covering 14, which may be a canvas with an apex vent as is shown in FIG. 1 or the apex vent can be removed and the canvas can simply go to a point as is shown in my U.S. D482,798, issued Nov. 25, 2003, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. A pair of decorative posts 20 is connected to each support column 12, preferably by a pair of decorative panels 19, and support columns 12 and decorative posts 20 can have a base 17 for supporting gazebo 10 when it is fully assembled.

Decorative panels 19 can take on any of a number of varieties of form depending upon aesthetic considerations; however, generally speaking, decorative panel 19 should either be a panel or at least two bar type structures, each of which is connected to both support column 12 and decorative post 20, and then the two structures should themselves be interconnected, so that such structure provides greater rigidity and support to decorative post 20 than what would be provided by a single bar with two points of contact or two separate bars with two points of contact that are not themselves interconnected. Of course, decorative panel 19 could also be solid along a substantial contact point with either support column 12 or decorative post 20, but such a structure would weigh more and generally be less aesthetically acceptable because it would interfere with the openness of gazebo 20.

Each decorative post 20 has a replaceable top 21 which may be secured to decorative post 20 by any suitable fastening means. For example, replaceable top 21 may be threadably inserted into post 20.

Replaceable tops 21 can take on any number of a variety of forms, variety being the key, since such variety creates the ability to customize gazebo 10 for different visual effects and for different uses. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2-11, replaceable tops 21 have taken the form of ornamental tops 22 that are selected for a given visual effect, whereas in FIG. 5 replaceable top 21 is a bird feeder, in FIG. 3 replaceable top 21 is planter and in FIGS. 2, 4, 9 and 10 replaceable top 21 is a light. While using eight identical replaceable tops 21 will create a sense of symmetry, there is no reason why a user cannot mix and match various replaceable tops 21 according to desired effect, or mood, or even for utilitarian reasons. For example, it might be desirable to use four lights to create a lit front and back entrance into gazebo 10, while the side replaceable tops might be planters, or bird feeders, or ornamental tops, depending upon the occasion, location of the gazebo, time of year, desired usage, or a variety of other factors that might prompt one to want to customize gazebo 10.

It is especially preferred, although not required, that each decorative post have internal wiring (not shown) that will provide electricity, if desired, to replaceable top 21. For example, if replaceable top 21 is a light 25, it is desirable to have that light be powered by electricity without any visible wiring. To accomplish this goal, a wire can be run through decorative post 20 (which is preferably hollow), and then run through a hollow structure of decorative panel 19, and then run into hollow support column 20. To connect all of the various wires in all decorative posts 20, wires can be run up decorative posts and then through frame structure 11 so that all of the wires are then connected.

Power can be supplied to a central wiring system of gazebo 20 by an external source, such as an extension cord, if a plug in outlet is provided in one or more of support columns 12 and the plug is then electrically connected to the central wiring system. However, in an especially preferred embodiment, solar polar is provided from a solar energy source located atop roof covering 14. By way of example of such an embodiment, solar collector 201 with solar panel 202 and one or more rechargeable batteries 203 (e.g., 4 AA rechargeable batteries) can be held above roof covering 14 by shaft 205 connected to covering support structure 13. Wiring can run between batteries 203 and the central wiring system so as to provide electricity to all of the replaceable tops 21. The specific details of solar powered collector 201, and the arrangement of a suitable wiring system, are not crucial to the present invention and their details are well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As should be apparent from the above description of solar powered collector 201, a gazebo fitted with such a device does not require any external power feed to function. This avoids the unsightly and problematic necessity of running a power cord from an electrical outlet to the gazebo to power lights, and eliminates the need to worry about having to constantly recharge batteries of battery powered lights, or replaced used batteries. This in turn makes use of such a gazebo much more enjoyable, and also opens up the possibility of its use at night.

It is contemplated that gazebos can be shipped and sold with solar lighting units as part of the standard design, or that solar lighting units can be included as an add on feature to a more basic gazebo that initially comes without such a unit. In addition, it is also contemplated that a base model might include a solar powered collector 201 designed for storing enough electricity to run the units lights for a preselected period of time (e.g., 3 hours) while additional units might simply be plugged in as an add on feature to increase the amount of time the solar lighting unit can be used at one time.

While the invention has been described herein with reference to several especially preferred embodiments, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. Additional embodiments thereof will be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this detailed description, especially to meet specific requirements or conditions. Further modifications are also possible in alternative embodiments without departing from the inventive concept.

Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that still further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed inventions as defined by the following claims. 

1. A gazebo, comprising: a four corner frame structure having four support columns connected together so that each support column is connected to two other support columns; a covering support structure supported by the four corner frame structure; a roof covering supported by the covering support structure; and eight decorative posts connected to the four corner frame structure so that each of the support columns has two decorative posts connected to it in different directions; wherein each of the eight decorative posts has a replaceable top.
 2. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein each of the four support columns and each of the eight decorative posts have a base for resting on the ground so that the gazebo, when fully assembled, will be supported by twelve bases.
 3. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein the replaceable top is selected from the group comprising an ornamental top, a bird feeder, a planter and a light.
 4. The gazebo of claim 3, wherein each of the eight decorative posts has an identical replaceable top.
 5. The gazebo of claim 3, wherein at least four of the eight decorative posts have an identical replaceable top.
 6. The gazebo of claim 3 wherein a first of the decorative posts has a post electrical connection that runs from the post to a first support column it is connected to and the post electrical connection is concealed from view when the replaceable top is in place.
 7. The gazebo of claim 6, wherein the first support column has a support electrical connection that connects the post electrical connection to a solar energy source that is supported by the covering support structure.
 8. The gazebo of claim 7, wherein the support electrical connection is concealed within the first support column.
 9. The gazebo of claim 3 wherein each of the decorative posts has a post electrical connection that runs to the support column it is connected to and each of the post electrical connections is concealed from view when the replaceable top is in place.
 10. The gazebo of claim 9, wherein each of the support columns has a support electrical connection that is connected to the post electrical connection in each of the two decorative posts connected to said support column and all four support electrical connections are electrically connected.
 11. The gazebo of claim 10, further comprising: a solar energy source supported by the covering support structure that is electrically connected to the four support electrical connections.
 12. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein the two decorative posts connected to each support column are connected such that they form a substantially ninety degree angle and all eight decorative posts are located within a substantially square footprint.
 13. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein each replaceable top is threadably connected to a decorative post.
 14. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein each replaceable top is at least partially underneath the roof covering.
 15. The gazebo of claim 1, wherein each decorative post is connected to one of the four support columns by a decorative panel.
 16. The gazebo of claim 15, wherein the decorative panel has an upper connection between one of the decorative posts and one of the decorative panels, a lower connection between said decorative post and said decorative panel and a panel connection between the upper and lower connections.
 17. A gazebo, comprising: at least four support columns connected together to form a frame structure in which each support column is connected to two other support columns; a covering support structure supported by the frame structure; a roof covering supported by the covering support structure; and a plurality of decorative posts connected to one or more of the support columns so that at least one of the support columns has two decorative posts connected to it in different directions; wherein each of the decorative posts has a replaceable top.
 18. The gazebo of claim 17, wherein the replaceable top is comprised of a light.
 19. The gazebo of claim 18, further comprising: a central wiring system substantially concealed from view that electrically connects each replaceable top to a power source.
 20. The gazebo of claim 19, wherein the power source is provided by a solar collector supported by the covering support structure. 